Mass Arrests Made In NYC Election Protests

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Police cracked down on groups of post-election protesters in Manhattan on Wednesday, arresting more than two dozen people and issuing summonses to dozens more in what critics said was a disproportionate response to a mostly peaceful demonstration.

The "Count Every Vote" protest, part of a nationwide pushback against President Donald Trump's efforts to halt vote counts in several competitive states, began Wednesday afternoon at the New York Public Library's Midtown branch near Bryant Park.

The group marched downtown toward the West Village, chanting "every vote counts" in what participants said had been a calm demonstration.

On Fifth Avenue near Washington Square Park, police on bicycles and in riot gear surrounded a crowd and pushed them into the street — a process known as "kettling," which police came under scrutiny for using during this summer's protests against racism and police violence.

Autonomous protestors and press around Leroy and 7th Ave from Washington Sq are attacked, beaten, kettled and shoved by NYPD. pic.twitter.com/YOhKOYEjqp
— NYC Protest Updates 2020 (@protest_nyc) November 5, 2020

Police moved in to make mass arrests within the trapped crowd, in some cases shoving and tackling protesters and threatening to arrest a reporter, according to reports by Gothamist and the New York Times. Some of those arrested may have come from another rally separate from the "Count Every Vote" event, Gothamist reported.

An NYPD spokesperson said Thursday that 25 people had been arrested, on charges including harassment, assault, obstructing governmental administration and resisting arrest. Summonses were issued to another 32 people.

One 23-year-old Brooklyn woman is facing a felony assault charge for allegedly punching an NYPD chief in the face while the chief was making an arrest, the New York Post reported. A 24-year-old Pennsylvania woman is also facing charges for allegedly spitting into an officer's face, an incident that was captured on video by a Post reporter.

City Council Speaker Corey Johnson said on Twitter Wednesday night that videos of the arrests were "incredibly disturbing."

"People have a right to protest, and journalists must never be threatened with arrest for doing their job. We need de-escalation at times like this," he wrote.

The NYPD attempted to defend its tactics on the department's official Twitter account, posting photos of what appeared to be knives and a taser confiscated from protesters.

"We have arrested more than 20 individuals who attempted to hijack a peaceful protest by lighting fires, throwing garbage and eggs in Manhattan," the department tweeted at 9:36 p.m.

In a news conference Thursday morning, Mayor Bill de Blasio said he was unfamiliar with the details of Wednesday night's arrests but disputed a reporter's suggestion that police had failed to de-escalate the situation. He added that he would review the events with NYPD brass later on Thursday.

"I'll have more to say as I review the specifics," de Blasio said.

For weeks, the NYPD has been preparing for potential unrest once the results of Tuesday's presidential election began to roll in. The department even considered implementing "frozen zones" to block swaths of Manhattan to pedestrians and vehicles, although an NYPD official called such measures unlikely.